Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amy Seligson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Amy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?

A significant number of negatives came from Covid, However, there were some positives that was the produced by the pandemic, also. One benefit that was birth from Covid was the access and availability of health care via telehealth. During the Covid shutdown, I had the opportunity to start my own private counseling practice all online. This excellent opportunity not only allowed me to offer mental health care when human contact was restricted but also to reach people in rural areas in Colorado that may have not otherwise have had easy access to care. Practicing online opened up an entirely new way to work with and help people in need regardless of Covid mandates, transportation issues, and locations.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I graduated from a university in Michigan with a master’s in counseling. While I was growing up, my parents had a difficult marriage which resulted in divorce. Though the divorce our family dynamics changes and a new normal had to be created. This transition proved to be challenging and my parents made the decision to take my sister and I to a counselor so we could have a safe space to process what we were experiencing. Counseling was extremely helpful to me as I was growing up and I wanted to be able to pay that forward to other people.

There are only a few things that I hate about being a counselor and one would be when I hear clients talk about how much they don’t like themselves and even some despise themselves. As a human, it breaks my heart every time I hear clients talk so negatively about who they are as a person. Unfortunately, I hear this all too often and I wish my clients could see how wonderfully amazing they really are. This inspired me to write and publish a faith-based self-help workbook called “According to God…You are Absolutely Wonderful!” that helps people who are struggling with not only self-acceptance and self-esteem, but also other mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and trauma. One of my hopes for writing this book is that people start to like and maybe even love themselves more than they did before they picked up the book.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The best way that I have to grow my clientele is to have multiple referral streams. I implement several different methods to obtain clients including adverting on counseling and psychology websites. Additionally, building relationships with EAP organizations to be on their referral list, as well. Another referral avenue is to be on rosters for victim services within the legal process. Only having one referral stream would sorely reduce my exposer and limit my business growth.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2020, I took a leap of faith and quit my corporate job of 15 years to pursue a career in counseling. Nothing was guaranteed which caused a lot of anxiety and stress. Even though the corporate job was suffocating, leaving a well-paid predicable job with benefits was difficult, but in the end, completely and totally worth it. For me, taking the risk and getting out of the boat not only provided me the opportunity to do what I love, but improved my quality of life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sunrisecounselingco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselor.amy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunrisecounselngco